[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]When she saw the wild Tatsugiri pop its head up out of the chilly, near-frozen waters of a nearby pond, Aurelie's eyebrows shot upward in surprise. Isn't that a Dragon-type from Paldea? she thought, recognizing it vaguely from tourist photos she'd seen of a huge, pristine lake in that region. What's it doing all the way here?

Watching it splash and swim through the water, with her mind still full of Legendary Pokemon, Aurelie suddenly remembered, with a sharp pang, a confrontation on a rocky promontory out in the middle of the sea surrounding the resurfaced island in Route 105. It was still so hard, so painful, to think of Isaac Merlo as League now, and not her comrade-in-arms in Rocket any longer. It wasn't as if this adopted little brother had taken her other eye, or her foot, or her hand, but somehow, sometimes, Aurelie almost wished he had, instead of what he did.

At this moment, though, the red-haired smith found herself thinking not of their agonizing and yet ultimately affirming last conversation on that rock, but of the powers he'd displayed while there. The way the clear sky had filled with drenching rainclouds when Isaac grieved. The way the waves had danced at his command. And his goodbye, when he leaped into empty air and disappeared into a wisp of wind, whirling away into the unknown before her stunned eye.

What else can he do? Aurelie wondered curiously, almost fearfully. How much is he like them? Like the other Avatars, whom she sometimes had trouble perceiving as fully human because of the awe-inspiring power and alien mindsets they developed through their bond with their Legendary patrons.

I hope he's doing okay, wherever he is. I hope he's safe...

Then Aurelie shook her head fiercely, telling herself not to dwell on the past any longer and to let those treacherous thoughts go. She wasn't here to sulk and brood over Isaac's defection. If anything, she wanted to clear her head while she was here, not muddy it with the swirl of emotions the memory of him always evoked in her.

Releasing her Scizor with a decisive gesture, she instructed it to weaken the Tatsugiri with a FALSE SWIPE. The insectile, steel-armored Pokemon glided forward with predatory grace, and Aurelie couldn't help admiring its form as it struck the startled wild Tatsugiri without causing it to fall into a dead faint. With a precision honed by years of adjusting to aiming with only one eye's worth of direction and depth perception, the redhead threw a Pokeball to capture the wild Tatsugiri.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]The appearance of the Combee surprised Aurelie almost as much as did the Tatsugiri. Surely, the dead of winter wasn't when you usually expected a flower-loving, honey-gathering Pokemon to be out and about. Yet, here it was, flitting lightly over the banks of the small pond breaking the monotony of the snow-covered fields.

Oddly, the Legendaries it reminded her of had nothing to do with bees, honey, flowers, bugs, or even flying things. It made Aurelie think of the rather endearing Rondez-View of Luv route she'd played featuring dahlia goode, all the way back at the beginning of the year. One of the choices in the route had been picking an outfit for Dahlia, and the winning option had been a Vespiqueen Sygna suit.

But later in that route had come Aurelie's first, fictional, yet somehow telling glimpse of Zacian and Zamazenta. At the time, it'd merely been an interesting plot wrinkle in a charming little otome game. But then, the Hero Dogs had appeared in Hoenn in the flesh.

And their power, she'd witnessed and experienced firsthand. Both of them were peerless warriors, and Aurelie only hoped to be able to see them again soon.

But the Combee itself had little to do with any of that. She took a deep breath and pulled her attention sharply back to the present day, before the wave of memories from the battle at the Ancient Tomb and the decades in memory-Galar overwhelmed her. Digging in her pack, Aurelie offered the Pokemon a berry and then tossed her Pokeball toward it. At least with her, it wouldn't need to flutter around in the cold any longer.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie idly wondered which Legendary Pokemon she might want to choose her as an Avatar, assuming that it was ever possible to have such a choice. Like any fool, she'd dreamed of Moltres, even after she'd learned it had seemingly disappeared or perhaps even died. Others, like Dialga, Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, and even the Hero Dogs, intrigued her.

But which would she choose, if she ever had a choice? But how could she even choose, when she had so little idea of what powers, blessings, and burdens they might bestow? And would Aurelie really want to choose any of them at all, or simply abstain like she had for the 99943 METENO conflict?

Could you imagine just walking away from an offer or an overture like that? she thought, laughing softly aloud in the gentle, wintry silence. I wonder if anyone has before.

Absorbed in her thoughts, she let out a startled, indignant yelp when a Magikarp leapt out of the pond beside her. A spray of freezing-cold water splattered over her left arm and mittened hand. "Name of Arceus!" Aurelie sputtered. "I better not get frostbite from this! Or catch pneumonia!"

The red-haired smith eyed the flailing Magikarp with disfavor as she pulled off the wet mitten, wrung it out vigorously, and shook it free of water droplets. After the splashing, she felt less inclined to take an interest in this Pokemon, even if it did evolve into a much more exciting form.

Frowning at the Magikarp, Aurelie turned away from the pond and started walking back through the snow, sinking back into her thoughtful, Legendary-filled reverie.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]But wouldn't turning down a Legendary Pokemon's Avatar offer be like running away? an insidious little voice whispered inside Aurelie's head. And you know you already run away from too much. You ran from Kalos, you run from what Rocket asks of you, and you ran from the meteoroid conflict. You need to face life bravely, not flee at the first sign of something scary.

Would it be braver to accept the responsibility or to dare the powerful Pokemon's anger with a refusal? Aurelie didn't know the answer. Instead of deciding for sure, she thought instead, But is it even likely to matter?

It wasn't as if this was anything she could control, after all. Instead, she should focus on the things she could do something about. Like her ignorance of the Legendary Pokemon and their Avatars—and not just what their powers were or how they acted, but how to work with them...or against them.

Knowledge is a treasure and a weapon, Aurelie reminded herself. So...how do I gain more of it? What should I do?

First, she could just read up more about them, for sure. Not just Pokepedia articles, but news reports and accounts, not to mention profiles of the Avatars themselves. Maybe she could even find chances to ask questions of current Avatars—though Aurelie's imagination flinched slightly at interrogating the likes of Cillian Quinn, Elisabeth Fiorelli, Bryan Delarosa, or Zev Harcourt. But perhaps someone else might be a little more approachable?

And of course, she should definitely try to take part in the next SPECTRA trials. Those were even meant to educate Rockets on how to deal with Avatars, after all. Aurelie closed her hand into a fist decisively.

Lifting her gaze and looking upward with new resolve, the redhead finally noticed a Charmander that had been romping through the snow, chasing and playing tag with Snorunts and Bergmites. She smiled at the endearing scene and waved her Scizor away. She would let them have their fun and not ruin it with an unexpected and unnecessary capture.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Yes, this plan felt like a solid one. Feeling emboldened by her new resolution, Aurelie stood up a little straighter and held her head a little higher as she strode across the snowy meadow. For a long time, her only goals had been survival and stability, but it felt fitting now, with her being a little more established and settled in Hoenn, to aim a little higher.

Not too high, of course. She had her wild dreams of toppling declan walsh and remaking Rocket into more of a crime family and less of an army, but all that certainly wasn't going to happen tomorrow. Fulfilling dreams like that would take years for an underboss or admin with strength, connections, and influence, and Aurelie was only a grunt, humble and forgettable.

But Walsh himself was an Avatar, and undoubtedly well-versed in his powers and able to summon powerful allies. So, gaining knowledge about Avatars and Legendaries would be necessary and helpful there too. Maybe Aurelie didn't have to become an expert on all those things, although she figured that it certainly wouldn't hurt.

And I'll need allies as well, she thought, as she glanced around the empty field covered in six inches of snow. Strength in numbers, isn't that the way? People and Pokemon. Something like... Ooh! Like that!

She'd just caught sight of a Bronzor around the other side of a snowdrift. It seemed to be stuck in place, and as she came closer, Aurelie could see why. Part of it was trapped in a chunk of ice and snow. Almost without thinking, the red-haired smith pulled out a pocketknife.

The Bronzor shrank a little away from the blade, but she wasn't here to cut it, for sure. It relaxed as she started chipping away at the ice, trying to free it. She gestured for her Scizor to help her—but gently, not with its full strength. It took a few minutes of whittling away at the ice and snow, but finally the Bronzor floated free.

"Want a little treat after your ordeal?" she asked it, fumbling in her pocket and coming up with a berry. "And maybe a couple friends on your side, so you don't get stuck like that again with no help?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Letting out a long sigh that emerged as a plume of warm steam, Aurelie could feel herself flagging as the frosty air and the day's exertions started to take their toll. Making resolutions and decisions about the future is hard work! she thought with a wry chuckle. Maybe not as hard as keeping them, but still a lot of effort all the same.

When her stomach growled and she became aware of her dry, scratchy throat, Aurelie smiled ruefully. It's also hungry and thirsty work, apparently! I could definitely go for some nice hot soup right now, or a cup of coffee.

As this thought passed through her mind, she noticed a spot of greenish color flitting across the pristine white of the snow. Her brow furrowing in puzzlement, Aurelie meandered toward it for a closer look. A laugh escaped her as she recognized the seemingly animated green-and-white jar painted with a pair of eyes as a Pokemon—something like her Polteageist, but with an unusual, exotic foreign flavor.

"How did you know I was craving a hot drink right now?" she chuckled aloud, addressing the Pokemon. She started to reach for a berry to offer the Pokemon, before noticing how it was scattering a trail of fine powder along the ground as it approached her.

As Aurelie watched, the powder landed on a few leaves and branches. It started to glow, and then the leaves dried and withered into dust, while the Pokemon itself seemed to perk up. She raised an eyebrow in speculation, feeling intrigued but unsure that gentle overtures were the way to go.

Instead, she told her Scizor, "Alcide, swipe it please." The Scizor struck it obligingly with an unerring FALSE SWIPE, which the Pokemon clearly wasn't expecting, and Aurelie took out a Pokeball instead of a berry. As she threw the ball, she was amused to realize that thoughts of hot tea had replaced her longing for soup or coffee and decided to head to a café afterward for a restorative cup of green tea or chai latte after her wintry venture today.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT